Spielberg Returns to Aliens in "The Day of Revelation"

"The Day of Revelation," which opens this week across much of Latin America and Spain, is the fourth film in Spielberg's extensive filmography that he has written and directed solo.

In 2022, there was "The Fabelmans," an autobiographical feature about his childhood, and two decades before that "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" (2001). And in 1977, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," which already reflected his obsession with potential contact between human beings and a species from beyond.

"The Day of Revelation" tells the story of a cybersecurity expert (Josh O'Connor) who tries to reveal a state secret to the world: the existence of extraterrestrials. A meteorologist (Emily Blunt), victim of unexplained phenomena, becomes involved in this discovery that shakes the entire world.

"It is evident that Spielberg harbors the hope that, beyond ourselves and Earth, other possibilities exist," French director Laurent Bouzereau, close to the filmmaker and author of numerous making-of books about his work, told AFP.

Spielberg, 79, a three-time Oscar winner, was marked in his childhood by a meteor shower he observed with his father one summer night. The filmmaker got the idea for "The Day of Revelation" after reading an article in The New York Times in 2017, which revealed the existence of a secret Pentagon program to investigate UFOs.

Expectations for this film are immense because "he is the filmmaker who most contributed to building a collective imaginary about aliens," says French journalist Nicolas Schaller, author of a book about the director of "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial."

Spielberg "revolutionized the science fiction genre," adds director Clément Safra, author of a dictionary about the filmmaker's work. "He was the first to imagine that extraterrestrials could come in peace" with "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," he adds. In that film, humanity faces paranormal phenomena before managing to establish contact with these visitors through music.

"In matters of alien films, Spielberg made two classics ('Close Encounters' and 'E.T.') and one great success ('War of the Worlds' with Tom Cruise, released in 2005)," details writer Ian Nathan, author of several books on cinema.

The first two show ordinary people confronted with the extraordinary, and as often occurs with the director of "Jaws," family serves as a backdrop to the main theme.

"The Day of Revelation" addresses some of Spielberg's favorite themes, such as childhood, family, tolerance, and wonder at the unknown, while adding contemporary issues like the increasing power of private companies over people's lives. This return to essentials comes after the modest success of "The Fabelmans" and "West Side Story."

"Spielberg stopped being the king of the box office a long time ago," observes Safra. "The last true great success of his career was the fourth installment of Indiana Jones, in 2008," he insists.